Ocular Scanning Instrumentation Diagnosis of Induced Trauma from Thermobaric Weapon Detonation

US military warfighters are in critical need of technologies/equipment which provide expedient, reliable and non-invasive diagnostic capabilities to aid in the evaluation and treatment of battlefield trauma. By providing quick and accurate diagnosis of the type and extent of trauma, such equipment would allow warfighters to more rapidly assess and implement the most effective course of action. Of particular concern are soldiers exposed to thermobaric blasts or other factors that may cause internal trauma within the theater of operation. Early diagnosis of internal trauma induced by a primary blast wave via a field-deployable, rapid, and non-invasive technique will provide an invaluable tool in the subsequent success of treating such conditions. The current Phase I proposal seeks to establish and validate the feasibility of using ocular biomarkers for the diagnosis/detection of specific, unapparent internal traumas resulting from overpressure exposure. Eventually, algorithms which quantitatively evaluate the determined biomarkers may be incorporated into our Ocular Scanning Instrumentation (OSI) technology. The OSI technology has thus far been developed around the capability of diagnosing exposure to chemical and biological threat agents. The resulting system will serve as an early-diagnostic system for theater of operation casualty assessment based upon generalized information obtained from ocular biomarkers.